Architecture in Asmara Colonial Origin and Postcolonial Experiences

Edited by Peter Vo/gger and Stefan Graf

A DOM publishers

Contents

Abbreviations ............................................................................................ 10

Acknowledgements ................................................................................... 12

Peter Vo/gger ... „ •••..••••..•.••••.•....•••...••••.•.••••...•••••...•••....••••...••••.....••..•.••••...• 14 lntroduction

Jean Robert ................................................................................................ 26 Photo Essay: Colonial Mirrors

PART 1: COLONIAL ORIGIN

First Chapter: Colonialism and Modemity

Kathleen ]ames-Chakraborty ..................................................................... 38 Is Modem Architecture Good?

Stefano Zagnoni ........................................................................................ 46 A Modem Historie City

Second Chapter: Construction of the Colonial Sphere

Pier Giorgio Massaretti ............................................................................. 60 Colonial Preliminaries: The Genesis of Italian Imperialism in the Experience of the Govemance of Asmara

Gian Luca Podesta ..................................................................................•. 70 Asmara: The Real Capital of the Italian Empire in East Africa

Francesca Locatelli .................................................................................... 80 Shaping the City from Below: Asmarini's Struggle for the City between the End of the Nineteenth and Mid-twentieth Centuries

Silvana Palma ... „.„ ...........••••••••.. „ .......•..•.••.............••••. „ ..........•••••.•....•...•.• 88 Sleeping Memory in ltalian Archives: Historical Photographs of Asmara and ltaly's Controversial Relationship with its Colonial Past

Federico Caprotti „ ..... „„ „„„ „. „„„„ „. „„„„„ „„„„ .. „ „„.„.„.„„„„„„„.„„.„ 98 Asmara: Making (Colonial ) Modernity Work through Transport Networks and Infrastructure

Massimo Zaccaria .............. „ ......................................................... „ ........ 108 Racing Across Asmara: Engines, Speed and the Colour-line in Eritrea (1938-1954)

Third Chapter: Asmara's Colonial Architecture and Urbanism

Harald Bodenschatz „„„„„„ .. „„„„„„ •.. „ •. „„„ .. „ ...... „ „„ •••.. „ ....... „ ••• „.„. 120 Asmara and Rome: Architecture and Urbanism of the Fascist Italian Empire and their Reception

Michelangelo Sabatino ............ „ .............................................................. 132 Twentieth-century Architecture and the Vernacular Tradition in Italy

Peter Volgger and Stefan Graf „.„.„. „ .„.„„„.„„„ „„ .........• „„ ..••.• „„„ ..... „. 140 Colonial Specula: Re-mapping Asmara

Belula Tecle Misghina ............................................................................ „ 162 Asmara and the Development of its Modem Urban Environment post 1941

Benno Albrecht, Filippo de Dominicis and jacopo Galli .. „ .....•.. : ..... ........ 174 Arturo Mezzedimi: Promises of an African Modernity (Asmara 1940-1959)

SeanAnderson ...................... „„ .......... ..................................................... 186 Other Scenes, Possible Selves: Building the Italian Colonial Interior in Asmara

Günter Richard Wett „ •. „„„ .... „„.„„„ ........ „.„ ..... „ ....... „ ... „ ....... „ ..... „„ .. 196 Photo Essay: Licht-Spiel-Theater (Play-of-Light Theatre)

Fourth Chapter: Asmara's Cultural Heritage

Peter Volgger, Stefan Graf and Arno Hafer .. „.„ ...... „ ... „ ..... . ........ „ ...... „ .. 206 Mapping the Past for the Sake of the Future: The Cultural Assets Rehabilitation Project (CARP)

Edward Denison ........................................................................ ............. 230 Photo Essay: Architecture as Image

Medhanie Teklemariam and Edward Denison ...... „„„ ..... „.„„.„„„ .... .. „ .. 244 The Asmara Heritage Project: Heritage Preservation Past, Present and Future

Fassil Demissie ........................................................................................ 254 The Future of the Present: Rebranding Fascist Architecture as Heritage in Asmara

PART II: POSTCOLONIAL EXPERIENCES

First Chaprer: Tracing Postcolonialism

Cristina Lombardi-Diop ......................................................................... 270 Rome-Asmara: A Postcolonial Archaeology of Colonial Spaces

Rino Bianchi and Igiaba Seego ................................................................ 278 Photo Essay: Rome Denied. Postcolonial Paths in the City (Roma negata. Percorsi poscoloniali nella citta)

Rebecca Hopkins .................................................................................... 288 Postcolonial Utopia in Erminia Dell'Oro and Elisa Kidane: Visions of an Ideal Society in Asmara and Beyond

Christine Matzke ..................................................................................... 296 Travellers of the Street: Flanerie in Beyene Haile's Asmara Play Weg'i Libi

Chris Keulen ........................................................................................... 306 Photo Essay: Giro d'Eritrea

Linde Luijnenburg .................................................................................. 316 La Piccola Roma: The Female Characteristics of Unoccupied Spaces in Toto Films

Gianmarco Mancosu ............................................................................... 326 Asmara, the Past in the Present: Echoes of Colonial Presence in Documentaries on Mobility

Second Chapter: A Geography of Memories

Alemseged Tesfay .................................................................................... 338 A Short Note on Aba Shawl

Tekle Woldemikael .................................................................................. 346 Under A Shadow of a Colonial City: A Memory of Childhood in Indigenous Asmara

Sabrina Marchetti and Domenica Ghidei Biidu ....................................... 352 Growing up in the Second Rome: Eritrean Migrant Women Remember their Childhood in Postcolonial Asmara

Third Chaprer: City and Migration

Annalisa Cannito ...........•..............................................................•......... 364 In the Belly of Fascism and Colonialism

Magnus Treiber ......................................................•................................ 374 A City Goes Abroad: Remembrance and Hope in Migration from Asmara

Hadas Yaron .....•..............................................•..•..............•...........•........ 382 Asmarino in Jerusalem: Asmara from the Perspective of an Eritrean Refugee

Eric Lafforgue .....................................................•................................... 388 Photo Essay: Bar lnteriors in Eritrea

fourth Chapter: Asmara's New Images

Victoria Bernal ....... „.„ .••• „ •.. . ................. . .......•.................•...................... 402

Asmara Online: The City as Contested Icon

Peter Volgger ..................... „ .....••.•••.••............. .. ....................................... 410 Asmara: Image, Memory and Identity

Steven McCarthy ...................................................................... ............... 422 Pride and Posters in Asmara: What the Graphie Landscape Reveals

Tanja R. Müller „ ..................................................................................... 432

Until Next Time in Asmara: A City of Aspiration, Despair and Ambition

Stefan Boness •.•....................................................................................... 440 Photo Essay: Asmarinos

CONVERSATIONS

Interview with Medhanie Teklemariam ...................................... „ •••........ 448

Interview with Magnus Treiber ............... „ .......... „ .................................. 454

Interview with Christoph and Konrad Melchers „„ .•.. „„„ .................... „ .. 462

Interview with Alan Maglio and Medhin Paolos ...................................... 470

Authors _.. ••• „ .................................................................................. 474